Young musicians wow crowds at the Mayor’s music awards

A packed out Hackney Empire enjoyed some of the best young musical talent in Hackney at the annual Music Service Gala.

Around 400 performers, from 40 schools, took part in the event on 2 November, which also hosted the fifth annual Mayor’s Music Awards, set up by the former Mayor of Hackney and now championed by the current Mayor Philip Glanville to celebrate the most promising musicians in the borough - writes hackney.gov.uk

Stuart Wilkinson, Music Coordinator at Sir Thomas Abney Primary School who picked up the award for excellence in music education practice, said: “This award highlights and recognises the hard work that has gone into music education over the last 5 years. With the support of Hackney Music Service and partners we aim to expand the musical pathways for our pupils and support their musical and social development.”

The Gala included performances from borough-wide ensembles, orchestras and choirs, as well as school groups and partnerships. The music ranged from collaborative musical theatre pieces with the Junior HBYC and HTO, to acapella singing from Rushmore, Queensbridge and London Fields primary schools, to a great rendition ofEn Vogue’s‘Don’t Let Go’ by singers from Hackney New School, and a huge jazz collaboration between HCJE and The Bridge Academy with their version of Chick Corea’s ‘Spain’.

There are so many talented young musicians in Hackney, I am proud that we can provide financial assistance for music, as funding lessons, instruments and competitions can be very costly.Music and the arts are just as important as Maths and English andI am determined that money should not be a barrier to any young person in Hackney pursuing their passion and fulfilling theirpassion for music and as I have seen this year appearing at national arts venues.

Philip Glanville, Mayor of Hackney

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Mayor Philip Glanville announced the results during the Gala. The winners were:

Special Acknowledgment of Curriculum Music Development and Initiatives

Hackney New Primary School (Strings Programme)

The City Academy, Hackney (Music Mentoring Partnership Programme)

Rachael Adediran, Head of Music, Skinners’ Academy said: “Just wanted to say how excited I am that our Music Department was awarded the Ensemble Development Award! The whole team here are delighted to have had their hard work and their pupil’s progress recognised by this award.”

Around 10,000 young people access Hackney Music Service provision every year. For more information on the Music Service contact; musicservice@learningtrust.co.uk ; 020 3076 1534; visit www.hackneymusic.co.uk ;or tweet @hackneymusic.

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